Mergui Archipelago, located in southernmost part of Myanmar (Burma), comprises over 800 beautiful islands. Due to its virtual isolation, the islands and surrounding seas are alive with an amazing diversity of flora & fauna and very beautiful underwater scenes and marine life.

The only human inhabitants in the area are sea gypsies, namely Salon in Myanmar. They live on boats during dry season and remain on land during rainy season. They still practice the same fishing and boat building techniques used for generation.

Salone Festival is held on 16th February, to promote the salone people way of life and of Mergui Archipelago a tourist Destination.

Being affectionate to sea, much skilful in swimming and diving, their ways of life and customs are so characteristic that traditional festival will be launched intending to attract international tourists as well as to operate marine eco-tourism around the islands in Archipelago.

Just north of the Surin Islands, an imaginary line divides Thai waters from Myanmar's Mergui Archipelago. Also known as the Archipelago, this immense area covers approximately 36,000 sp km (14,000 sq miles) and included roughly 800 islands. Diving here is still in its infancy, as the entire region has been off-limits to outsiders since the late 1940s. After several years of negotiation by Phuket dive operators, the archipelago was opened for tourism in 1997, yet much of the area remains unexplored.

The islands are similar to their Thai counterparts, with rugged, high-profile limestone and granite topography. One obvious difference, aside from the sheer number of Myanmar islands, is their unspoiled terrestrial scenery. Dense brush and rainforest cover most areas above the high-tide line, while vast stretches of mangroves and magnificent white-sand beaches are interspersed with rocky headlands, tidal creeks and a few freshwater rivers. Though several of the larger islands are home to small communities of Moken 'sea gypsies,' the vast majority are uninhabited and largely untouched by humans.

Underwater, this region offers scenic reefs, fascinating topography and prolific fish and invertebrate life. One of the main attractions for divers is the strong possibility of seeing big animals, especially sharks and rays. More dependable, however, is the tremendous variety of smaller fish and reef creatures, including many unusual species, some of which are rarely encountered in Thai waters. Add to this the allure of diving where few people have before and you've got all the ingredients for a top-notch dive destination. Considering the vast number of islands and reefs, many more dive sites are undoubtedly waiting to be discovered.

The diving here has tremendous potential, yet serious environmental problems threaten the reefs. Trawling and longline fishing have put heavy pressure on fish populations and the marine habitat in general, but the biggest threat is blast fishing with dynamite, which Myanmar has done little to discourage. You are likely to hear bombs go off at least once during a multi-day trip anywhere in the archipelago. Virtually all Mergui sites show at least some evidence of blast fishing, from craters of broken coral to piles of orange cup corals and even huge chunks of rock that have been blasted off vertical walls.

Despite the environmental threats, the diving in the Mergui is still excellent. Even at sites that are bombed regularly, soft corals, anemones and gorgonian fans usually survive undamaged, as do nudibranchs, cuttlefish, octopuses and other invertebrates. Fish that lack swim bladders (like sharks, rays and moray eels) also seem unaffected, unless the explosion is very close. Also, since many fish move from reef to reef, new fish seem to show up all the time.

In addition to dedicated drive trips, several companies offer eco-adventure trips in Mergui Archipelago, combining sailing, snorkeling, diving, beach-combing, island exploration and, in some cases, kayaking. It is too early to say what this area's long-term prospects are, but hopefully, increasing interest in ecotourism will provide enough incentive for the authorities to take action and protect the reefs before it is too late.

Mergui Princess Cruise1

Mergui Princess Cruise (1) is newly live aboard which can be accommodated maximum 6 passengers. All cabins onboard are air-conditioned and offering great sea view. She has one queen size bed and one bunk bed room with en suite bathroom are on the main deck and one twin bed room without en suite bathroom is on the upper deck.

Boat Rental & Charter

Mergui Princess is a fast and comfortable liveaboard with 3 air-conditioned private cabins which can accommodate 6 clients and 4-5 crew members. It is 79 feet (20.lm) long. It is equipped with modern navigation and communication system like echo sounder, GPS, i-com radio and a satellite phone.

Accommodation

Myanmar Andaman Resort is located on Fork (Macleod) Island in Myeik (Mergui) Archipelago, Southern part of Myanmar (Burma) at Latitude 10 10' and Longitude 97 58' and 40 nautical miles from Kawthaung (Victoria Point) and Ranong, Thailand and 160 nautical miles from Myeik (Mergui). Myanmar Andaman Resort is designed to meet the requirements of those who love to enjoy sun, sand, sea and nature on the beach / island and as well as to take part in activities of Marine Eco Tourism.

Sea Gypsy

The Myanmar Sea Gypsies (Salone) nomads still hold on their own beliefs. Ma Kyone Galet Salone Village is located on Bo Cho Island between 10.40-N and 98.16 E. Salon Festival is held at this village every year.

Diving Information

Myanmar(Burma) is home to a vast number of islands, coral reefs and banks, all of which lie to the north and west of Thailand. Because of the distance to Myanmar's most popular dive areas-the Mergui Archipelago and the Burma Banks-dive excursions are limited to live-aboards based out of Phuket, Thailand, and Kawthaung, Myanmar(Burma).